


Aliferous

by archangelwithashotgun



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Crying Gabriel, Gabriel Monthly Challenge, Hurt Gabriel, Loss of Wings, Loving Sam, M/M, Phantom Limb Pain, Sabriel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 05:50:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9979190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/archangelwithashotgun/pseuds/archangelwithashotgun
Summary: Gabriel Monthly Challenge: February 2017Inspired by the statement prompt: Aliferous - Having wings.SEQUEL to "Clipped Wings." Gabriel is suffering an unfortunate side effect after losing his wings.





	

“Here’s a bright idea, _Cassie_!”

The snarled remark echoed throughout the Bunker as Sam stepped inside, the door clanging shut behind him. He frowned deeply, casting his eyes uneasily towards the doorways of the first landing.

“Fly! Go on, I know you desperately want to! Dad knows you’re feeling like absolute shit keeping kept grounded, but guess what? You actually _have_ wings, so why don’t you get the fuck out of my face and stop with your pathetic attempts to make me feel better before _I rip them off_!”

Sam’s eyes widened and he sprinted down the rest of the stairs, rushing into the hallway where Gabriel’s bellows were emerging. There was a muffled crash of glass, and Sam felt his heart leap into his throat with impending dread and hastily quickened his pace.

Castiel was stepping out of Gabriel’s room by the time Sam rounded the corner. He looked completely worn and crestfallen, running a weary hand continuously over his face. Sam jogged to a halt, glancing between the closed door and Castiel worriedly.

“What happened?” he asked immediately.

Castiel dropped his hand, opening his eyes. “I don’t… I think I’ve made things much worse in my attempts to make Gabriel feel better about his… his situation,” he answered grimly.

Coming down from the rush of frightening adrenaline from Gabriel’s rage, Sam let out a quivering breath, slowly realizing what the problem was.

“Take a breather,” he suggested softly, nodding toward the door. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Sam—“

“He’s not himself right now,” Sam cut in gently. He reached up and curled a hand around Castiel’s shoulder. “I know how much you want to help him, but right now he’s not going to accept it.”

Castiel looked overwhelmingly lost as he allowed Sam’s words to sink in and he deflated with a distraught sigh. “I understand.”

“It’ll be okay,” Sam encouraged, clapping Castiel’s shoulder before removing it completely. “Just know that whatever he’s saying is because of the situation and the pain he’s in. He doesn’t mean it.”

Castiel set his jaw and nodded stiffly. “Right.”

“I got him,” Sam reassured once more, stepping away from Castiel and turning toward the entrance to Gabriel’s room. Castiel’s footsteps trudged down the hallway behind him as Sam carefully opened the door and stepped inside.

Gabriel was pacing angrily in the middle of the floor, his hair unkempt and lightly matted from where he tugged and ran his fingers through it. His nostrils flared with every trembling breath he took in and his jaw was clenched tightly. A lamp lay shattered by the opposite wall, shards of teal glass and lightbulb coating the floor.

Sam eyed the agitated archangel warily, walking further inside the room and closer to Gabriel.

“Gabe?” Sam said cautiously.

“Damnit!” Gabriel cried out suddenly, and Sam winced as Gabriel’s fist landed against the desk he walked past. “ _Fuck_!”

“Gabriel,” Sam tried again, stepping up to Gabriel. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, _nothing_!” Gabriel spat, looking up to face Sam with fiery eyes. “Absolutely _nothing_. Except the fact that my brother’s been walking on eggshells around me ever since I came back, treating this whole thing as if it’s a diet: if I can’t have it, then apparently neither can he. I don’t have my goddamn wings, so he’s joining me in my inability to fly, and it’s _fucking condescending_. It’s pissing me off more than anything and I couldn’t stand it, I couldn’t stand watching him twitch and get restless and see his wings get to—“

Gabriel cut himself off as a sudden, pained whimper erupted from his lips. He bit down on his bottom lip and shot his hand up to cup around his right shoulder, the corners of his eyes pinched. Sam paused, locking onto the action and the agony etched into Gabriel’s features, and he knew.

“Your wings,” Sam started, walking forward and lifting his gaze to steadily meet Gabriel’s. “They’re hurting you, aren’t they?”

Gabriel snorted, sniffing. “That’s just ridiculous, considering I don’t have any wings.”

“That doesn’t mean the pain isn’t there, Gabriel.”

Gabriel was silent, shifting his shoulder up and blinking back a sheen of frustrated tears.

It was enough to answer Sam’s previous question. He stopped just in front of Gabriel, raising a hand to tenderly cup Gabriel’s cheek. Gabriel choked back a keen and swallowed thickly, closing his eyes.

“It happens a lot with humans who lose limbs,” Sam said softly, stroking a thumb along Gabriel’s cheekbone. “It’s called phantom limb pain. It’s normal.”

“How the fuck is that _normal_?” Gabriel ground out, a few tears sliding rapidly down his cheeks and splashing against Sam’s thumb. “There’s pain in a part of me that doesn’t _exist_ anymore.”

“It happens,” Sam whispered. “I wish I could explain it better, but it does happen and it _is_ normal with these kinds of things. I’ve heard of it happening to plenty of hunters that had to get an arm or a leg amputated after a job. A lot of them talk about how they can still feel as if they’re moving their fingers or toes, or how the pain of their absent limb keeps them up at night.”

Gabriel quaked at that moment, his eyes sliding shut as his face creased in another wave of agony.

“How… How do I stop it?” Gabriel hissed, a few more tears sliding down his face as he opened his eyes. “I can’t, I can’t keep dealing with this. It made me act like such an dick to Cas, and I can’t—“

“Castiel is your brother. He loves you, and he’s worried about you,” Sam assured, leaning forward to kiss Gabriel’s forehead. “He wants you to be okay.”

“But I’m not,” Gabriel replied, a short sob leaving him. “It hurts. It _hurts_ and I don’t know how to stop it or if I even can.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Sam soothed, wiping away Gabriel’s trailing tears. “We always do. There are different ways to treat phantom limb; every person that’s dealt with it has their own method. We’ll find yours.”

Gabriel inhaled shakily, sobbing out an exhale. Sam bowed his head and lovingly kissed Gabriel’s lips, rubbing his nose affectionately against Gabriel’s as he pulled away.

“We’ll figure it out,” Sam whispered again. 

Drawing in a deep breath and taking his bottom lip between his teeth, Gabriel hesitantly nodded. Sam smiled and opened his arms. Instantly, Gabriel fell into his embrace, hands clutching at the back of Sam’s shirt desperately as the archangel quivered violently. Dropping another kiss to the top of Gabriel’s head, Sam ran a comforting palm down Gabriel’s upper back, carefully kneading the heel of his hand into the contracting muscles. 

The result was instantaneous as Gabriel sagged forward with a broken whine, this time of mild relief instead of pain. Sam smiled wider past his own hidden tears and firmly pressed his lips to Gabriel’s scalp.

“You’re going to be okay,” Sam huffed.

Gabriel sighed, turning his face into Sam’s neck. “I sure as hell hope so.”


End file.
